Seven Inceptions at the Eighth Division
by Suiren Shinju
Summary: An old friend once said her name means 'Seven Inceptions' and that by the time she has her eighth inception with a man, she'll be in love with him. So far the man has been Kyouraku Shunsui. Thus Ise Nanao fights to keep their romantic encounters to seven.
1. Before the Pendulum Started Swinging

_The First Inception..._

"WAAAHHH!" The youngest girl in the Eighth Division cried out so loud that even the vice captain came to see what the matter was. Little Ise Nanao had been carrying a heavy stack of books down a flight of stairs when she tripped on the hem of her hakama and fell.

"Nanao-chan!" Eighth Division Vice Captain Yadoumaru Risa went into a panic as she saw her number-one fan on scrapped knees trying to pick up the books she had dropped, all the while still crying. She trotted up to her and knelt down to comfort the child.

Nanao wiped her runny nose on her sleeve, not wanting to face her idol after being such a klutz.

"Don't cry. It's alright now, Nanao-chan." Risa said calmly as she smoothed back Nanao's bangs. The young girl peeked out from her sleeve as Risa assaulted her nose with a handkerchief. "Blow."

Nanao blew her nose as instructed to, before shyly looking up at her vice captain. "Gomen nasai, Yadoumaru-Fuku Taichou..."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Risa quickly returned to her usual stoic self once she realized the child would be alright.

"RI-SA-CHAN!" The Captain of the Eighth Division came running up to his vice captain's side. "You left me all alone in that dull office again!"

"I thought you could use the time to attempt some paper work." Risa adjusted her glasses, balancing Nanao on her hip as she stood up.

The captain looked down at the child and chuckled. "And how is this lovely little angel?"

"I... I'm Ise Nanao, sir." She bowed her head respectfully, her cheeks blushing and her eyes wide. This was Nanao's first time meeting her captain face to face.

He was a handsome man, she thought, her indigo eyes moving down from his wavy, dark brown hair to his soft brown eyes, lightly tanned skin, and a goatee slowly working its way along his jaw line. He wore a pink floral haori robe over his captain's haori and a decorative obi sash in place of the plain standard, as well as an expensive pinwheel hairpin in his lush hair. However, what did clothing matter when this man before her was one of the most famous of the captains? This man was Kyouraku Shunsui.

Risa gave a small smile and handed the ebony haired child to their captain. "Hey, trade you. If you're not gonna work, please take her to the infirmary and help her clean her knees up."

"Deal." Kyouraku took Nanao into his arms as Risa went back to the office.

"Y-You don't have to do such a trivial thing Kyouraku-Taichou! I can do it myself!"

"Nonsense. I made a deal with Risa-chan. I have to look after you, understand?" He gave her a big smile.

"Not really sir."

Kyouraku chuckled again and took her to the Eighth Division's medical station. No nurse was on duty, a shame really, but he went and found the antibacterial ointment and bandages while Nanao took a warm washcloth to her horribly scrapped knees. Her hakama was torn from the impact and so she removed them. Her kimono was long enough to keep her undies covered after all.

"Okay! Let's fix you up." He squirted a bit of ointment onto his pointer finger and rubbed it into her right knee. "I'm not pressing to hard am I?"

"Children don't have kneecaps sir. They're still in the process of becoming bone so there's no way you could hurt me."

This child's intelligence impressed him, but she had forgotten one thing. "Most patella ossifies by the time a child is seven, Nanao-chan." He said as he placed a bandage over the right knee and began the same process on the left one. "You're body couldn't be much young than that now, could it?"

"I'm unsure of how old my body is, sir. I think I'm about eight or nine..." She bowed her head and watched as he tenderly placed on the last bandage, when she suddenly remembered her manners. "Oh! It... It's been a pleasure to meet you Kyouraku-Taichou! Thank you very much for looking after me!"

"The pleasure is all mine my dear Nanao-chan." He stood up and bowed to her, taking her left hand in his right and kissing each individual knuckle of the hand before raising back upward. "I'll look forward to working with you."

Nanao gave him a wide smile, nodding happily as she returned the sentiment.

He saw her maybe once a month after that, but one night as he walked back to the Eighth Division barracks, he noticed her waiting in front of the main office.

_The Second Inception..._

"Um..." She said quietly, clutching a large text book to her chest.

"Er, you're Ise Nanao-chan, right?" He asked.

The child's face instantly perked up. "Oh uh, y-yes sir! I'm honored you remember me!"

"Well you are the youngest here in the Eighth Division, and I do make a habit of learning all the young girls' names. Besides, you come to see us on the first of each month... Oh, today's the first, isn't it?"

"Yes..." Nanao bowed her head, blushing a little. "I wanted to read with Yadoumaru-Fuku Taichou this time too..."

"I see... but I'm sorry, Risa-chan isn't here tonight."

"How come?" Her voice asked like she'd been heart broken.

The Captain of the Eighth Division softened his eyes. "She's on an important mission. But it'll be alright, I'm sure she'll be back by morning."

"Oh..." Nanao held her book tightly, fighting the urge to suppress her tears of disappointment.

How Kyouraku hated to see that expression on a child. "Would you like me to read to you?"

Her expression changed again. "R-Really? You would? You're not too busy?"

"Nope." He smiled, holding out his hand to hers. "Let's go to the office. You can sit at Risa-chan's desk and pretend you're the vice captain."

"Okay!" Nanao excitedly took her captain's hand and had to trot just to keep up with his long strides.

Those were the days of innocence: days when Nanao loved her captain and didn't mind being called 'his Nanao-chan.' She had grown up all by herself, so having Kyouraku spoil her during her first few years in the Eighth Division gave her a sense of worth, that someday someone might just fall in love with her. She never expected it to be her captain though.


	2. When the Youngest Flower Blooms

Kyouraku Shunsui had been the Captain of the Eighth Division for more than a century now. During his career, he had made himself out to be the kind of man who couldn't make personal enemies. Though he never seemed to take his job seriously, everyone still revered him as one of the best captains in the Gotei 13. He could do as he pleased without worrying about his reputation.

Of course his new vice captain was the only person who didn't believe he should get away with so much. Perhaps that was because Ise Nanao was everything he wasn't, at least as a Shinigami. Where Nanao was hardworking and professional, he was lazy and inappropriate. That's just the way things were and all that mattered what that somehow their differences held together the Eighth Division after Yadoumaru Risa disappeared.

Nanao sometimes blamed Risa for Kyouraku's laziness. She had been far to lenient with the man during her time as vice captain, and when the first plans of a young Aizen Sousuke forcibly turned her into a Vaizard, she had no choice but to abandon the Eighth Division and a dutiful Nanao rose up to be her replacement, and perhaps in the midst of it all, confused Kyouraku into thinking Nanao would be the same kind of woman as Risa.

_The Third Inception..._

"Anou... Kyouraku-Taichou? Shouldn't you be getting to the captain's meeting? It starts in a few minutes." The little vice captain asked when she noticed the meeting lightly penciled in on the division's calendar schedule.

She twiddled her thumbs together with her arms reclusively drawn to her chest, wondering why her captain hadn't yet moved from the couch upon which he lay.

"Taichou...?" Nanao approached him slowly, reaching her hand out to lift his kasa, straw hat, off his head. She found him peacefully asleep, but decided she needed to wake him up. It was her duty as vice captain to assist the captain, even if that simply meant being an alarm-clock. "Kyouraku-Taichou...? Wake up Kyouraku-Taichou. You have a meeting sir."

"Nn..." He groaned and rolled onto his side, his back facing towards her. "Lemme sleep Nanao-chan..."

"B-But sir!" She shook his shoulder lightly.

The captain pulled his pink haori around him like a blanket, completely ignoring Nanao's requests.

She pouted her lower lip in frustration as tears welled in her eyes. She grabbed the closest object she could find, a heavy text book, and smacked him as hard as she could with it before running out of the office crying.

Kyouraku got up of course, rubbing his shoulder from where the book had made contact. He went to the meeting which proved to be just another dull monthly update on financial studies and unit defenses. It dragged on until well after dusk, but by then he was at his lowest point of boredom, a point where even sleep didn't seem inviting, so he did as he often did: wander about the division's gardens.

It didn't take him long to discover his vice captain asleep underneath one of the willow trees near the large koi pond. She was slumped back against the truck of the tree with an open book in her lap. She looked too precious to move, plus he was afraid of waking her and having her become grumpy with him as children often due when they're tired.

So he took a seat next to her and carefully removed the book from her lap, closed it, and set it on his other side. He easily removed her glasses as they were barely balanced on the end of her cute little nose and placed them on top of the book, then removed his pink haori to cover her up for the night.

"Sweet dreams Nanao-chan." He whispered near her ear, planting a soft kiss on her forehead before tilting his head off to fall asleep listening to the gentle breathing of the young girl.

This went on for many decades as he watched a girl with a book of fairy tales grow into a young woman with books on the history of Seireitei and biographies of famous Shinigami. But her age and reading selection made no difference as he still would find her asleep under that same willow many times.

Perhaps he had fallen in love with her when she was a little child, as disturbing as that might be to some. He recalled the first time he read to her in place of the previous vice captain. She sat on his lap with her eyes following every word as he spoke it, then slowly, her eyelids drooped and she slumped against his chest, sound asleep in the comfort of his arms. She was _his_ Nanao from that day onward, for she had no one else to read to her until she mastered the skill herself.

That day came all too soon when she refused his offer to read her a story. She must have known how sad he felt, so for a while she was the one who read to him. But even those days ended after too short a time. Nanao was a full grown woman now who had made it clear she didn't need him as anything more than a captain.


	3. Unpredictable Encounters

"Menos Grande..." Kyouraku tipped his hat as he approached the battle field. Hollows swarmed over the land and sky and a couple Menos Grande were roaming closer to those with higher reiatsu. "Well, we just can't let them wander around now can we?"

"Hai." Nanao asked, adjusted her vice captain's badge on her upper arm.

"Keep your guard up, Nanao-chan." He grinned down at her as he drew his blades.

"Hai." She bolted into the sea of Hollows, a powerful Kidou enchantment ready to fire off the moment she entered one of the packs. With a single shot she took care of twenty weaklings, then set her sights on a Menos Grande. She was ready to take one on solo. She drew her hidden Zanpakutou from her sleeve and charged forward, her body burning from the thrill of battle.

The Menos she was aiming for looked at her and opened its mouth to unleash a Cero, but Nanao easily dodged the red blast and sliced through the creature's mask with a kidou enhanced sword. It fell, hard, but didn't dissolve into reishi as she had expected. Nanao should have known it would take more than one shot.

"Once again!" She told her Zanpakutou as she charged the Menos a second time, using both a hadou spell and her Zanpakutou to smash its mask into a million pieces. The Gillian howled as its body reduced to reishi and vanished into thin air.

"Bravo Nanao-chan!" She heard her captain call to her.

Another ghastly howl came up behind her as a second Menos Grande launched a Cero at her, this time she barely dodged it.

"_Damnit! I couldn't sense it!"_ She held her left knee, as she had to skid on it to avoid the attack.

While the Menos readied itself for another Cero, Nanao ran with all she had, hoping to get behind the creature before it had a chance to fire. She succeeded, but the Menos was surprisingly agile as it pulled a one-eighty and reached a long, gangly, white arm out to snatch up the tiny vice captain.

For a moment, Nanao thought she'd be crushed to death, but before the Menos had time to clasp its hand around her, its entire arm was severed clean off by the blades of Katen Kyoukotsu.

_The Fourth Inception..._

Her captain easily dispensed the Menos and the remaining Hollows. He moved like the wind and half the attacks she didn't even see. This was child's play to him, where as she had nearly gotten herself killed. Was she really that weak compared to him?

"Are you alright, Nanao-chan?" He asked seriously, sealed his Zanpakutou.

She blushed in embarrassment and bowed her head. "Yes. Forgive me sir. I was careless."

"I didn't ask about that. I asked if you were alright." Kyouraku approached her, extending his right hand to her. "Can you stand, Nanao-chan?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She swatted his hand away and stood herself up. She sheathed her sword and adjusted her glasses in her typical expression of annoyance. "I'm fine."

Kyouraku chuckled momentarily, but stopped when he noticed Nanao walking, or rather, limping away from him. "Nanao-chan! You're hurt!"

"I said I'm fine. It's just a scrapped—KYA!" She shrieked as his arms suddenly lifted her off the ground and he prepared to carry her. "Taichou! Put me down! It's better if I put pressure on it, really!"

"You either let me carry you to Unohana-chan, or you let me treat it." He smiled at the cleverness of this proposition. Either way, he'd have the pleasure of holding his Nanao or finally seeing her slender legs.

She decided she'd rather not face the embarrassment of having any of the Gotei 13 officers witness her in the arms of her captain. "Even when you're serious, you're a perverted old man..."

He smirked, walking away from the battlefield in hopes of finding a more serene location to treat her wound. He settled for a small rock over looking a hill of tall grass with a tiny creek running somewhere behind the brush.

"I can treat it myself you know." Nanao reminded him as he set her down on the rock.

"Yes, but it'll be easier if I do it." He knelt down in front of her and lifted her left foot over his shoulder, rolling up her hakama to get a good look at the injured knee. "Heh, you keep scraping your knees and you won't be able to keep up with me."

She turned her head with a 'hmpf' while he assessed the damage.

"It's not bleeding too terribly..." He pressed his thumb against the bloody skin, trying to feel if anything was broken. Nanao didn't gasp sharply to indicate any pain, but she had a stubborn streak that might just be refusing her to show pain. "Does it hurt at all when I press on it?"

"Only a little, but that's because you're pressing too hard sir." She nudged his hand away and brought her leg off his shoulder. "I told you, I'm fine Kyouraku-Taichou."

"Let me at least clean it out." He pulled a sake bottle out of his robes, pulled the cork, and downed the remaining contents. "I'll go get some water. Do you care to salvage that hakama or shall we tear off a few strips to stop the bleeding?"

"Might as well. Removing blood stains is a pain." She sighed.

"Alright, I'll be right back." He smiled, walking off to find that stream prepared the makeshift bandage.

She styled her hakama into a mini-skirt, throwing away the bloody and dirt covered left half and using the cleaner right half to tear into bandage strips.

_The Fifth Inception..._

Kyouraku returned with the sake bottle full of water, nearly dropping it when he saw Nanao sitting with her long, slender legs stretched out in front of her, much like how Risa sat. "Have I told you how beautiful you are today?"

Nanao glared up at him. "You've probably mentioned it, but I've learned to tune out such frivolous comments."

"You're so cold Nanao-chan." He whined, lifting her leg back over his shoulder. "We're totally alone out here after all."

"Don't make me hurt you sir."

The brown eyed captain said nothing further. He poured some water over the wound and took one of the strips Nanao had torn from her hakama and used it to wipe the blood off. When the wound was clean, he tenderly bandaged her knee and returned her leg to the ground, not even trying to glance at her panties as he did so. "Let's return then, shall we?"

"What? No lecherous comment? No grab at my buttocks?" She was pleasantly surprised at his resistance.

He chuckled, taking her by the hand and guiding her onto her feet. "My dear, you act like I am predictable."

Nanao gave him a small smile and reluctantly let him hold her hand until they reached the Seireitei and their home in the Eighth Division.


	4. Rescuing the Damsel in Distress

"Taichou, I'm leaving." Nanao called from the front door of the division's office. "Please don't fall asleep at your desk and catch cold like you did last week."

"You didn't have to leave the windows open." He called back to her, knowing full well she had done it on purpose to teach him a lesson.

Kyouraku sighed when he heard the door shut and quietly rose from his desk, turning out the lights and locking the main lobby before he returned to his living quarters. It was dusk and the streets of the Seireitei were coming to life as vendors sold food and bars welcomed in valued customers, but tonight he went straight from the office to his room and broke out his own liquor stash.

He sighed out loud, sitting down on the engawa terrace with a sake bottle in one hand and a book full of smutty short stories in the other. "What a day..."

The evening blossomed into a cool night, the stars clearly visible against the dark blue sky. The crescent moon was blocked by a dark purple cloud momentarily and as it passed, moonlight revealing flowers that only blossomed in shadow.

Unable to sleep, Kyouraku took opportunity of the beautiful twilight for one of his strolls through the gardens. Moonlight disappeared behind another dark cloud and off in the distance, he heard the roll of thunder. Rain was on the way. He thought about turning back, but he was almost to Nanao's favorite willow tree and he was under the suspicion that she just might be there.

And sure enough, she was, donned in her kosode and a light yukata; sound asleep under the willow, an open book laid upon her lap. Her hair had become untangled by the wind and her glasses were millimeters away from falling off her nose, but even then she still had that air of professionalism about her. Maybe that's because her legs were neatly folded together and hands delicately lay on the pages of her book. She very well may not have been asleep for if she opened her eyes so wouldn't have looked tired at all, just relaxed in a peaceful environment.

"I better get her inside..." He said under his breath, kneeling down in front of his vice captain and slowly removing her glasses so if they fell from her nose, they wouldn't get damaged. He did the same with her book as well, quietly closing it and placing it in his breast pocket along with her glasses.

Kyouraku held his breath as he snuck a hand under her legs and the other behind her neck and carefully lifted her up, walking back to his quarters as lightning flashed against the dark sky and thunder crashed the silence. He just barely beat the rain as he stepped onto his terrace with a sigh of relief: Nanao had stayed asleep.

The deluge of water came as the captain laid his ebony haired goddess onto his futon. He finally had the chance to see her naked face and was completely taken aback. She looked even more beautiful without her glasses hiding her face. So beautiful in fact that he couldn't stop his hand from lightly caressing her cheek, her cream colored skin a bit chilled from the night air.

"Nanao-chan..." He spoke no louder than a whisper, reluctantly withdrawing his hand to pull up the blankets, evening adding his pink haori from his shoulders to help keep her warm. "Sleep well..."

* * *

_The Sixth Inception..._

Nanao woke up the next morning in the unfamiliar room, the smell of fresh rain in the air drifted into her nose and she inhaled deeply before yawning and sitting up to stretch. Her yukata had fallen open in her sleep, and her kosode was also showing off a generous amount of her skin, but she wasn't awake enough to notice.

The ebony haired vice captain yawned again and rubbed her eyes, unaware she was in a room that was not her own. She spied the outline of the book she had been reading and found her glasses resting on the cover. She recovered the lenses and put them on with a low groan, her inner clock telling her she was late for her morning routine.

"If Kyouraku-Taichou arrives to the office before me, I'll never hear the end of it..." She said quietly, standing up and removing her yukata and kosode.

From the other side of the room, Kyouraku cleared his throat. "I don't think you have to worry about that Nanao-chan."

A twinge ran down her entire body and she slowly turned her head, hoping she was caught in a nightmare.

Sure enough, there he was; lying on his side with his cheek resting against his hand. He gave a long whistle then smiled widely at her. "Now this is what I'd like to wake up to everyday."

Nanao blushed furiously and quickly pulled her robes back on. "You've kidnapped me?"

Kyouraku laughed out loud. "Heavens no! I _rescued_ you from the rain last night! I knew you'd throw a fit if I stepped into your quarters, so I brought you back to mine."

"With all due respect sir, you are a dirty, filthy old man!" She picked up her book and held against her chest with both arms, and then ran towards the door.

"There's no need to be coy my dear." He called out to her, setting his hand down to help sit him upward. "If I am just a lecher, I would have done a lot more than tuck you in last night."

She shot him a deadly glare. "I'll see you at work, Kyouraku-Taichou."


	5. The Perfect Man

Nanao's most recent encounter with her captain had put her in what Rangiku called a drinking mood. Before Kyouraku even arrived at the office, the Vice Captain of the Tenth Division had pulled her best friend out for a much needed pick me up. Nanao agreed only because it was five in the afternoon and she'd finished all the paperwork for the day.

"I don't know if I can keep this up Rangiku-san, Hinamori-kun..." Nanao admitted as they walked the streets of the Seireitei, looking for a good bar that opened early.

"He only saw your butt." The busty blonde reminded her. "He won't tease you that long."

Hinamori Momo, the Vice Captain of the Fifth Division, was also accompanying them and lending her support to her reading buddy. "Kyouraku-Taichou always struck me as a really sweet guy Nanao-san. Are things really that bad?"

"It's not just that. If I'm going to continue working for the Eighth Division, I'd like to do it professionally. Is there something wrong with me if I'm not totally enthralled with my captain?"

"You're the only vice captain in the Gotei 13 who isn't." Rangiku stated.

"Even Oomaeda-Fuku Taichou does his work and stays on good terms with Soi Fon-Taichou." Momo added.

"Oh gods..." Nanao dropped her head. "What should I do? It's not I hate the man or anything, I just don't want him acting out his inappropriate feelings toward me."

Rangiku smiled and gave the smaller woman a kind hug. "I know you hate hearing it Ise, but that's not about to change. I don't have the faintest idea of what you're so afraid of; having someone love you should make you happy."

Nanao gripped the sleeves of Rangiku's Shihakushou as she leaned her head against her friend's neck. "He doesn't _love_ me Rangiku-san... Why would he love someone like me over someone like you?"

"Because men are weird!" Rangiku laughed, squeezing her fellow vice captain tight. "Hinamori, be grateful you're still a little young to know of the struggle with a love life!"

The youngest vice captain giggled. "I think Nanao-san just needs to find someone a little more like her."

"That's a great idea!" Rangiku released Nanao as she needed her hands to make hand gestures as she laid out a freshly hatched plan. "All you need is a boyfriend!"

"A _what_?" Nanao adjusted her glasses in response to the annoying suggestion.

"From what I know Kyouraku-Taichou is more reserved around women who are in serious relationships. He has some decency. He doesn't hit on me because he knows how much I love Gin..." Rangiku's voice trailed off for a moment. "Anyway, the trick is finding someone that you're attracted to."

"Rangiku-san, I know someone." Momo smiled. "Our Third Seat might be a good match. Chiba-san is more your age and he loves reading. I see him in the library a lot."

"Oh! What's he like?!" Rangiku seemed more interested for Nanao than Nanao was interested for herself.

Momo shrugged. "I can't say I've ever had an engaging conversation with him. He's actually pretty quiet, but I do know he reads classical literature, some still in their original languages too so I'm assuming he's multilingual."

"Well, my ideal mate is cultured..." Nanao said with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Then let's invite him for sake!" Rangiku pulled out her cell phone and dialed the Fifth Division's offices.

* * *

"Nanao-san, this is Chiba Reinosuke-san." Momo introduced the Fifth's quiet third seat.

Reinosuke smiled shyly and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you Ise-Fuku Taichou."

"Likewise." Nanao shook his hand and did a quick over look. He was a clean shaven young man with jet black hair held back with a head band. He wasn't ridiculously big; his chin met the top of her head, and his frame was slender and his muscles not overly defined. He was clearly the 'beautiful-boy' type, but that was just fine with Nanao.

"I'm sorry if this is awkward Chiba-san." Momo apologized to him. "Thank you for coming."

He gave his vice captain a friendly smile and nodded with a soft chuckle. "It's quite alright Hinamori-Fuku Taichou. I should devote some time to developing a social life."

"Okay!" Rangiku interrupted, throwing her arms around Momo's shoulder. "You two go hit it off! C'mon Hinamori!"

Nanao watched in horror as she was left with to figure out the dating game on her own. Reinosuke evidently shared in her emotions and was sympathetic. "Perhaps we shouldn't start out by consuming alcohol. I'm afraid my tolerance leaves me with the most horrible of migraines come morning."

"I agree." Nanao was impressed. He was polite, considerate, and clearly intelligent, yet there was something about him that made her feel cold in his presence.

They sat down at the corner table of a pub and grill restaurant. For drinks, Nanao ordered water; Reinosuke ordered an ice tea. While they looked over their food choices, the need to break the silence led to small talk.

"Do you go out often, Ise-san?"

Nanao was almost surprised to be addressed so respectfully. "Rangiku-san usually drags me out of the office every other day, so I suppose the answer is yes."

"Must be nice. None of my friends are that persistent." He smiled.

"It's troublesome at times, but I end up having fun anyway. All the same, nothing beats curling up with a good book."

"Without a doubt." Reinosuke set down his menu. "I heard you liked reading even more than Hinamori-san."

"I do. I love reading." She smiled sincerely at a man for the first time in a good while.

Their evening together became less about a dinner-date and more about their favorite literature and how they always seemed to do more work than they needed to. Nanao was happy to know she shared a great deal in common with him, but she couldn't honestly say she fell in love with him.

Of course, she didn't know what it actually felt like to be in love. All she knew was that she enjoyed Reinosuke's company and by the time they left the restaurant, she hoped they could get together again.

"Did you enjoy our first inception, Ise-san?"

She nodded. "First time I've had a worth-while conversation with a man actually. Thank you, Chiba-san."

Reinosuke chuckled. "I had fun too. No need for thanks."

They walked in silence for a little ways on their way up to the Eighth Division. It was on the way to the Fifth Division, so Nanao had no problem with Reinosuke accompanying her. It was nice not have to argue over the matter and just take a peaceful walk up the stone pathway.

"Um, Ise-san? If you'd like, I have no problem with you calling me by my first name." He said before he left her at the front office.

"And I suppose you want to address me by my first name, Reinosuke-san?"

"Oh no Ise-san." He grinned. "Not yet at least. Given our ranks, calling you anything other than Ise-san or Ise-Fuku Taichou would reflect poorly on my manners. Plus Hinamori-san told me about how inappropriate name calling can affect a relationship and I wouldn't want to impede ours so soon in the process."

Nanao couldn't believe that such a person like Reinosuke existed. Yet what was that unfriendly chill that she felt when ever he smiled at her? It was as if it wasn't truly sincere.

"Good night then, Ise-san." He bowed as they parted ways.

Nanao worked up the courage to tell him something she never thought she'd say to anyone. "Call me!"

"I will." He waved as he headed up the road towards the Fifth Division.

The ebony haired vice captain entered the office with a smile on her face; a smile which quickly faded when she saw Kyouraku Shunsui standing just past the doorway.


	6. Long Ago Love

"Kyouraku-Taichou, what are you doing here...?" So he had come to the office today. Better late than never, maybe she could convince him to sign a few papers before she turned in for the night.

"I was looking for you." He said childishly. "I haven't seen my precious Nanao-chan since this morning and I was worried."

"I assure you I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself sir. Now if you don't mind, might I go to my desk to lay out tomorrow's schedule?" She tried to step past him, but he moved right in front of her and then back as she tried for the other side. "Sir, does this immaturity have a point to it?"

Without warning, he threw his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest. For once, the scent of sake didn't overwhelm his own natural pheromones so Nanao didn't push away as quickly as she used to.

"Sir...? Are you drunk?" She asked anyway.

"No. I just wanted to hold you for a while... is that okay?"

"Certainly not! You release me right now or I'll zap you off!"

"Nanao-chan..." He clung to her tighter, his head resting against her neck and his hands around her waist. "Where did my sweet little Nanao-chan go...?"

Had he known about the date? No, he couldn't have. It was an unscheduled event and no way Kyouraku heard Reinosuke's soft voice through the thick front door.

"Do you remember when you used to love me Nanao-chan?" He whispered into her ear. "Those days after Risa-chan left?"

Nanao remembered, and for her actions as a child, she was ashamed.

* * *

"YADOUMARU-FUKU TAICHOU!" She wailed as she burst into his office, quickly looking over at the vice captain's desk. The vacancy told her everything and she cried harder.

Kyouraku was resting his forehead against the sides of his propped up hands when Nanao came in. She seemed to be taking it a lot harder than he was. He forgot his own selfishness for once and scooped the little girl up in his arms without a second thought.

Her little arms barely fit around his neck, but she did her best to hug him back.

"Nanao-chan..." He said comfortingly, his hand rubbing her back in a soothing manner. He knew the best thing for her to do now was cry, but what could he say to her to help? 'It's alright' and 'I'm sorry for your loss' didn't seem appropriate at all. All he did was repeat her name over and over as he rocked her in his arms.

When Nanao calmed down, he pulled her back just enough so he could see her face. "Will you be alright my dear?"

"Yeah... It just hurts... so much..." She whimpered as the hand rubbing her back came around to wipe her eyes. "Yadoumaru... Fuku-Taichou... is the only one I have... without her... I... I just feel so alone!"

"...Don't you have a family Nanao-chan?"

She shook her head. "No one else... ever cared about me... in Rukongai... I was just plain and dull! Yadoumaru-Fuku Taichou was the first one... to tell me I was worth something... and now she's gone! What if... what if no one else thinks I am?! It may be selfish, but I want... someone... to need me!"

Kyouraku knew the feeling. He had been kicked out of his own household and enrolled in the Cardinal Spiritual Arts Academy where he met Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, a man who saw great potential in him and came to think of him as his own son. With Yama-jii's guidance, he was able to grow up and make friends. He even found a woman who genuinely loved him, but now Risa was gone and she had left him and this child with no one to love them as she had.

"...I need you, Nanao-chan." He said as he pulled her close again. "Your captain is going to need you for a very long time I'm afraid..."

Nanao nodded and clung to his haori until she fell asleep, exhausted from all her crying.

Kyouraku kept her in his arms as he went about little bits of paperwork. He wrote with one hand while the other held Nanao. Several Eighth Division officers raised an eyebrow to him, but he shooed them off while stealing a loving glance at the little girl nestled up against him. Even when night fell and working time was over, he carried her up to his room and rolled out an extra futon for her. He tucked her in and removed her glasses, kissing her forehead to seal his caring for her.

"Sweet dreams Nanao-chan..."

"Hnn..." She made a cute noise and rolled over, her hand reaching up to grasp his haori. "Don't go..."

"Heh, I'm not going anywhere." He lay down next to her on his side, his elbow propping him upward so he could see her face. "You're so cute Nanao-chan."

He saw her lips curl into a smile and her cheeks blush. "Thank you... Taichou..."

"I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise." He yawned and snuggled under his haori with that goofy smile on his face.

Nanao continued smiling as she slipped back into a deeper sleep, contently curled up against him.

* * *

Yes, back then she loved him. He became her reason to get up each morning. It didn't take long for her to be promoted to Vice Captain of the Eighth Division and his way of needing her became doing most of the paperwork and keeping in from ending up dumped in an alley, drunk. She grew too independent to consider that she still needed him. Even now as he stood facing her with that look in his eyes... Nanao refused to break.


	7. The Usual

It didn't really surprise her that he was waiting for her. She had expected him to come and ruin a perfectly wonderful evening by bringing up their past. In his arms she always felt weaker, whether it was his reiatsu or his squeezing her too tight, she felt as if she could faint. She prayed she wouldn't.

"Sir, let me go."

He shook his head and picked her up with one swift motion, holding her up like he did when she was little. "You still need me Nanao-chan... Why are you trying to resist it?"

"Because I don't _need_ you taking care of me!" She snapped.

"Need and want are two different things." He reminded her. "You don't want me to take care of you, but you know you need me to. My Nanao-chan is just too stubborn to admit it."

Nanao's cheeks turned red and she turned her head to the side as his hand ran through her hair. "You're so strong Nanao-chan, but even the strong need looking after, not always in the guardianship type way, but other ways... lover's ways..."

"That idea is both filthy and disgusting!"

"It's true. I knew from the moment I met you, I wanted to hold you in ways no other man should. I've waited so long for you to grow into a woman's body I can hardly believe the time has come."

She felt nervous all the sudden. "Time for what...?"

He smirked. "Why, my confession of love Nanao-chan. Surely you've read about it in at least one of those books of yours. The handsome man confesses to his fair maiden and makes love to her on the spot. And I think I better before you fall for that Fifth Division boy."

"_So he did know. Bastard."_ Nanao fought even harder to escape, but he had an inhumanly strong grip. "Let me go!"

"Now, now. Take it easy. If you fight me, you'll only end up hurting yourself."

"HADOU #31: SHAKKAHOU!!" She blasted a surge of red energy into his shoulder, but no simple Kidou attack would harm a long-standing captain and he nullified the attack by simply emitted a thin reiatsu shield around him. The blast did knock Nanao out from his arms and she lay sprawled across the floor with an ash covered face.

"I told you." He sighed, extending a hand to help her up.

Nanao sat herself up and grit her teeth. "I... HATE YOU!" She screamed with tears welling in her eyes. "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LAZY, FILTHY, DRUNK!!"

"Nanao-chan..." Kyouraku approached her only to have her slap his hands away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! I'M NOT YOUR 'NANAO-CHAN' ANYMORE SO JUST GET OVER IT YOU DIRTY OLD MAN!!" She stood up and quickly brushed away the backfire of her kidou spell before turning and storming off to her quarters. She tried to retain her composure, but she broke down as soon as she shut the door to her room.

She longed for the days when she was just a kid. She wanted to have him take her to the Tanabata on her birthday and watch the stars with her. She wanted to go to his house for New Years and have a family that admired her talents while criticizing his. She even wanted to go to the Hanami in a pink kimono that matched his haori and let him gather as many sakura blossoms as he could for her. But she was no longer a little girl and those days were to be but a happy memory.

* * *

The next morning was for once, normal. She woke up, showered, got dressed, and brushed her hair. She let the events of last night behind her and went into the office with her intent on running things as she usually did.

"Good morning Third Seat Enjouji." She greeted the large set officer as they both arrived at their place of work at the same time.

"Good morning Ise-Fuku Taichou." He bowed his head. "How was your evening?"

"Fine, thank you." She bowed back and pulled open the door, having the scent of alcohol escape in one noxious cloud. "Oh gods!" Nanao instantly plugged her nose.

The third seat drew his sword and performed his signature move to clear the air. "WOSHAA-SHA-SHA-SHA!!"

"Thank you Third Seat Enjouji." She coughed as she stepped into the office, nearly tripping over a sake bottle.

Enjouji Tatsufusa followed after her, stepping on some bottles and breaking them instead of tripping over them. "It smells like something died in here... Where's the Taichou?"

Nanao felt a stabbing pain in her chest as she raced across the room, looking for her captain. Had he drunk himself to the point of blood poisoning because of her? No, he couldn't. He wouldn't!

"Kyouraku-Taichou!" She cried as she burst into his office to see him draped over his desk surrounded by sake bottles. "TAICHOU!"

Enjouji raced into the room and stalled behind his vice captain. "Kyouraku-Taichou..."

Nanao rushed over to passed-out drunk and checked his pulse. Still breathing.

The toilet in the next room flushed and a still buzzed Rangiku wandered out giggling. "Mornin'!"

"Matsumoto-Fuku Taichou!" Enjouji walked over to her, only to discover the side room filled with other passed out officers. "Hisagi-Fuku Taichou! Kira-Fuku Taichou! Third Seat Kotetsu! Third Seat Kotsubaki! Oh gods Ise-Fuku Taichou, there's a whole squad in here!"

Surprisingly, Nanao was relieved. Kyouraku hadn't drunk all this liquor, he had a drinking party. "Let's get them to Unohana for treatment."

"Alright." Enjouji went to contact the Fourth Division while Nanao held her chest and sighed deeply and smiled a little. Everything was still all right. Nothing unusual had happened that morning.

* * *

Kyouraku Shunsui awoke in the familiar ward where Unohana dealt with relieving his hangovers. By now the treatment was over and they were just waiting for him to wake up. As soon as his eyes opened, Nanao slammed a book down on his face, nearly breaking his nose. However, she withdrew the text before his blood could stain the leather cover.

"Ow...!" He grabbed his nose and quickly sat up. "What did I do?!"

"That's for scaring me half to death!" She yelled, tempted to smack him again.

"Nanao-san, perhaps you could give Kyouraku-Taichou a chance to wake up before you start shouting at him?" Unohana stepped into the room. "I see I'll have to treat another wound now."

"No need Unohana-chan. I deserve this one I think..." He stopped the bleeding after a bit and smiled up at them.

The healer gave him a suspicious glance. "Hm, perhaps you should stop angering your vice captain then."

Neither member of the Eighth Division said anything. Unohana quickly took Kyouraku's blood pressure and took a blood sample to check for alcohol poisoning of any kind. This was the standard routine. He usually checked out okay, but there had been some instances when he needed to be hospitalized for a few days. This, however, was a usual day and he was free to leave as soon as he pleased.

"I'd refrain from these drinking parties of yours Kyouraku-Taichou, but as always I know you'll ignore me." She smiled.

"Message received and discarded!" He laughed, standing up and fetching his Shihakushou as Unohana left the two alone.

Nanao bowed her head to give him some privacy, even though he was wearing a kosode. "Are you feeling alright Kyouraku-Taichou?"

"Aa, I'm just fine Nanao-chan."

She didn't know what to say next.

"I'm surprised you were worried about me. I thought you hated me." He smirked.

Again, she gave no response.

"Well, shall we return to our humble home?"

"...Hai."


	8. Preparations for the Winter War

The usual quickly faded away after the Ryoka appeared, battles ensued, and Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tousen Kaname were revealed to be traitors. Gin broke Rangiku's (and Kira Izuru's) heart and it took a great deal of alcohol and close friends to pull her out of depression so for a while Kyouraku and Nanao comforted her, but afterwards they had to get back to their own office and tackle the extra paperwork that they'd have to take on to keep the Gotei 13 running.

Attempts were made to keep the atmosphere up beat, but the looming promise of the Winter War sent a permanent chill over the residents of Soul Society. The Eighth Division was no different.

Nanao didn't fall asleep under the willow tree this time, nor could she find the will to pick up one of her books. She sat quietly looking out over the pond hoping some form of repose might find her.

"You seem forlorn Nanao-chan. Something bothering you?" Kyouraku asked as he sat down on the opposite side of the tree trunk.

"I've told you to leave me alone after office hours Kyouraku-Taichou, especially when I come here."

"And I respectfully ignore you." He said with mirth. "So what's up?"

"I'm not talking about it with you!" She stood up and headed for the engawa terrace.

Kyouraku caught her by her wrist and followed after her. "Nanao-chan, you know as well as I do that things are going to change again. If you're scared, you should be. I'm scared too."

She attempted to pull her wrist out of his grasp. "Let go!"

"Nanao-chan, what is it you're so afraid of...?" He asked her with a serious look in his soft brown eyes.

"It's nothing! Now let me go Kyouraku-Taichou!" She used a basic escape technique to free her wrist then began running off, only to be cut off at the foot bridge by her shunpo using captain.

"Do you honestly think you can keep running from me, Nanao-chan?" As he took one step forward, she took one step back. Her wide indigo eyes never were locked on his gentle gaze, yet she refused to let her compassionate captain see her in such a humiliating state.

Nanao bowed her head and let a few teardrops fall from her eyes.

"Nanao-chan...? There's no need to worry, I'll protect you with my life."

_The Seventh Inception..._

"That's... That's what I'm afraid of. Everyone keeps saying we're facing an enemy like we've never fought before and even if we give it our all, ten Vasto Lordes spell the end for Soul Society and the living realm! And we only have three captains on our side who have the experience to match up at their level, but even then: Yamamoto-Sou Taichou is not as quick as he used to be; Ukitake-Taichou's health runs on a fine line; and Kyouraku-Taichou... Kyouraku-Taichou will always be trying to protect me... I don't want to be your weakness anymore... I want you to either believe in me and treat me like a capable adult... or... my life will end before the war begins."

He looked at her with a stunned expression. "Nanao-chan, what are you saying? You'd kill yourself just so I wouldn't get distracted in battle?" He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, wiping away a tear that had begun trickling down her face. "How could I live without you...?"

"You wouldn't be nagged anymore... you could live your life as freely as you wanted without schedules or paperwork... I know my life is insignificant. I have no family or extremely close friends that need me... even _you_ have never needed me beyond my secretary skills..."

"That's not true Nanao and you know it!" He scolded her.

"Then what am I to you?!" She shouted back, her face red from crying and embarrassment.

Kyouraku looked at her, smoothing a hand through her ebony hair and tilting her head upward to meet his gaze. "You're the woman I've fallen in love with."

"Oh be seri--"

"I am serious." His voice was firm and his gaze unwavering. "Even now I'm fighting the urge to whisk you up to my quarters and lay you down on satin sheets. I want to kiss you until you can't breathe and I'd give anything to hear you say you love me. My sincerest wish is that my Nanao-chan will me take care of her, because like you said Nanao-chan, you have no family or close friends to do so."

"But--!"

"I _want _to take care of you Nanao-chan. I want to serve you fine wine with those little chocolates you love so much and I want to make love to you by candlelight amidst thousands of red rose petals. But before that, I want to make my Nanao-chan smile..." His fingers played with the ends of her hair as he tried to coax out a sincere smile from his stoic vice captain.

"...You'd go through all that hassle to bed me, but you won't pick up a pen to do paperwork?"

"Enough about pens and paperwork!" He raised his voice again, something she wasn't used to at all. "Work and Romance are two separate settings to which I give the later the greater attention. You want me to come right out and say it? Or should I keep beating around the bush until you finally let those walls down and accept the fact that I'm in love with you?!"

Nanao bowed her head again, feelings of guilt and regret washing over her.

"Fine..." His voice calmed and he turned to walk away, fed up with the whole argument. "Keep lying to yourself."

Nanao stood in the gardens, completely alone and still wearing his pink haori, rejected by perhaps the last person in this world that felt _something_ for her. Even if it wasn't love, she didn't want to see him suffer through the heartbreak of losing another vice captain.


	9. No Regrets

_Your first meeting will be met with kindness. _

_In the second he will show you sympathy. _

_Third, he will cause you pain and anger. _

_Fourth, he'll erase those feelings by protecting you from harm. _

_The fifth meeting will display his resistance..._

_But in the sixth it is you who will let your guard down. _

_Seventh, he will confess his love. _

_And Eighth... You will fall in love with him._

"_Your name means 'Seven Inceptions' and that is to remind you to think twice before you hop in bed with a man. Ultimately the choice is yours, but remember you be the one to hear him continually repeating your name as you have sex. You gotta be sure you can handle that."_

"_Why's that Yadoumaru-Fuku Taichou?"_

"_Because each time he says your name, it'll be harder for you to refuse him."_

* * *

How many times had he called her 'Nanao-chan' now? Had that been the reason her well constructed barrier towards love began crumbling around him? What did it matter now? She'd be breaking her century of professionalism by coming to his quarters at night, but she disguised it as a business matter and not a personal one and thus gained the courage to knock on the door.

"...Kyouraku-Taichou?"

"Aa, come in." She heard him respond.

She slid open the door and stepped inside. Kyouraku Shunsui was lounging on his futon and hitting the bottle hard. Thankfully, he was in his kosode, for Nanao was almost certain he'd be naked if he had expected her visitation. He must have been mad with her because he didn't look up at her when she entered.

"Anou... Taichou?"

He gave a small grunt to indicate he was listening.

"I... I'm sorry sir." She bowed deeply. "I was completely out of line and hope you can forgive my outburst, though I don't expect you do."

"Never mind that." He said rather seriously. "You talked about your falling in battle, which raised a question. Nanao-chan, what would you do if I was killed? Could you leave me there to die?"

It had never occurred to her that Kyouraku was just as mortal as she was. The very idea of this legendary captain dying was next to impossible though. He was powerful and actually intelligent when it came to battle.

"That would never happen." Nanao stated. "I highly doubt you'd receive any fatal injury."

"But if I did...?" He asked, standing up to approach her.

"You won't because I won't let you do anything stupid that could get you killed!" She felt like crying again.

"Nanao-chan..." He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, wiping away a tear that had begun trickling down her face. "If we live, which is the more likely, would you consider marrying me?"

She looked up at him with confused eyes. "What...?"

"My Nanao-chan would make such a cute little wife for me. Ah, and I can just picture how coy you'll be with me on our wedding night. My lovely blushing bride all dressed in white. It'll be fun." His voice turned goofy again and Nanao couldn't help but smile.

"Taichou... don't be ridiculous... I'd be even more nagging as a wife."

"Hm, you make a good point." He swept her off her feet, literally, and spun around as he carried her over to his futon. He flopped her down on the blankets playfully, then went to unroll the extra futon he had. "But you're worth it."

Nanao snuggled into her designated futon without argument and lay on her side to talk to see eye to eye with her captain. "Remember the first birthday I celebrated with you?"

"Of course I do. It was a beautiful seventh of July. I took you to the Rukongai Tanabata festival and bought you some fancy hair-clips and a goldfish. You wore the cutest little yukata too. Then I took you up to the highest hill and we watched the stars until daybreak. You tried so hard to stay awake but fell asleep."

"I was just a little girl, Taichou..."

"A very precious and beautiful little girl." He corrected her. "Who fell asleep holding my hand."

Nanao blushed with embarrassment. How she hated when he brought up her childhood fondness for him. "I just liked knowing someone was there..." She said in her defense.

He chuckled and rolled over on his back, stretching his arm out so his hand was in reaching distance.

The ebony haired vice captain received the message and rolled onto her back as well, placing her hand in his palm and lacing their fingers together.

"Good night, Nanao-chan." He said softly as he lightly squeezed her hand. "I'll be right here if you need me."

"...Arigatou, Taichou."

* * *

That night, sleep was not kind to the Vice Captain of the Eighth Division. Horrible dreams of slain Shinigami and a monstrous being known as Aizen Sousuke as the one holding the blood stained sword. She ran amidst a see of blood and bodies, frantically searching to find her captain but by the time she found him, it was too late.

"Kyouraku-Taichou... no... no! Taichou!!"

He was there, as he had promised, and quickly released her from her tossing and turning by embracing her. His lips pressed against her ear lobe and as soon as she heard his voice murmur her name, she woke up.

"Tai... chou..."

"It's alright Nanao-chan. I'm right here. Shh, shh."

Nanao slid her arms around his neck, hiding her head against his shoulder. "How could you...? You put that awful scenario in my head...!"

"Shh..." His voice remained gentle and oddly comforting. She couldn't remember the last time she pressed her ear to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. He was still alive, he was still by her side, and he had no plans on changing that.

Then another horrible thought crossed her mind; maybe she could love someone like him...

_The Eighth Inception..._

"T-Taichou...?"

"Yes?" He looked down at her with loving soft brown eyes and smiled only as he could. She felt his right hand stroke her hair and his left squeeze the small of her back, all acts tender and slow.

"I... I really am scared..." She clenched his kosode in her hands. "I... I don't want you to die... and I don't want to die either... but we might... and the last thing I want is to regret is you..."

"Nanao-chan..." He purred as he set her back down against the futon, his hand still stroking her ebony locks. "You won't regret it. I promise." With that, he laid his lips over hers and softly kissed her.

* * *

**Author Note:**

Okay my fellow perverts, should I add another chapter an' have 'em do it? Or are ya'll contented if I end here? Either way Kinpa Ginpa reveals their fate (once I'm done rewriting the damn thing so it makes more sense)


	10. Epilogue

**Author Commentary**

By popular demand, _Seven Inceptions at the Eighth Division_has received a special epilogue chapter! Yay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and who loves this couple as much as I do. Really. You've been great. Enjoy now!

* * *

Their kiss was exactly how Kyouraku Shunsui wanted it to be. It wasn't forced or sudden. Nanao wasn't resistant, but didn't eagerly accept the affection. Still, he enjoyed the precious seconds he spent feeling the softness of her lips and the odd sensation of their breaths mingling together.

"Taichou..." She murmured once she had the chance to speak. "Let me go... I'm afraid if we do this, I'll only end up hurt..."

"I won't hurt you." He said softly as he stroked her cheek.

"I know you wouldn't... not intentionally... but still..."

Kyouraku smiled and kissed her forehead. "Then we'll have do this by the book Nanao-chan."

"Huh...?"

The captain chuckled. "I mean will you marry me Nanao-chan?"

Nanao blushed and nervously replied. "H... Hai..."

* * *

Time shifted past the battle fields, past former colleagues and others whom they had long regarded as dead. Yadoumaru Risa had exchanged glances with them, but kept to her own comrades, never speaking a word to either of them. It was a forlorn reunion, but peace of mind formed having known the truth about everything.

Their future together began at a showy, spring wedding. If ever there was a blushing bride, it was none other than Ise Nanao. The shear embarrassment of her consent to marry him was overwhelming enough, but admitting her true feelings for the man in front of all of the Gotei 13 shot her to a whole other level of mortification. She found herself hesitant to kiss him at the end of the ceremony, so it was Kyouraku left to do all the work. He kissed her with all he had. With his hand on the small of her back, he dipped her back and meshed his lips against hers with a surprising passion. Their guests stayed quiet until the priest concluded the ritual, then erupted in applause.

The reception afterward was short for the two newlyweds. Nanao had forbidden him to drink no more than a glass of Champagne and wine. However, she found it utterly impossible to keep him from socialized drinking and thus Nanao excused herself after all the sober people had left.

"What made me think he'd listen to me more if I married him?" She asked herself as she flopped down on their brand new king sized mattress. She drew a pillow up into her arms and hid her face in the soft texture. "Gods please tell me I haven't made a mistake..."

"You haven't." Kyouraku told her as he walked in, loosening his tie and shirt collar. "You should have told me you were eager to consummate our love Nanao-chan. I would have carried you up here in the proper fashion.

Nanao tilted her head back with an amused glare on her face. "You do realize how difficult this is going to be for me. I've spent months trying to call you by your first name or even omitting your title and I still slip up. Tearing down a well built professional image with my _one_ superior isn't going to be instantly solved by marriage."

"And do you realize the reason I married you was so you could keep things professional? It's one thing for us to be sleeping together as captain and vice captain, but now that we're husband and wife, you don't have to be afraid of loving me. See how good I am to you already?" He smiled.

She removed herself from the bed and shook her head, removing her glasses and placing them on her nightstand. She brushed out her hair and washed her face in the adjacent bathroom, but found getting out of her dress to be a struggle. "Taichou! Could you help me with my dress please?"

"Use another title and I'll consider it!" He sang back.

Nanao sighed. "Shunsui!"

He was at her side as soon as her mouth closed. He located the zipper along her spine and pulled it down smoothly at first, but then had to tug it off a snare in order to free his Nanao. "There you go."

"Arigatou." She said as she removed her earrings and necklace. She stepped out of the dress once it fell to the floor and asked her new husband to hang it up for her.

He obliged, only because he could never refuse a woman clad in nothing but her undergarments. "Anything else I can do for you my sweet bride?"

"You can shower." She pointed to the washing facilities then pulled out make-up remover. "It'll take me a while to clean up in the sink so use the shower before I get in."

"Let's--"

"And before you even suggest that we shower together, I must remind you that these washrooms aren't built to accommodate two bathers at the same time." She patted her face with the white cream, then took a wash cloth and scrubbed it and her light layer of make-up off.

Not even attempting to argue, Shunsui stripped off his clothes (leaving them on the floor mind you), and entered the tiled bath room. He shut the non-transparent glass door and took a seat on the plastic wash stool. He turned the faucet on and let himself get soaking wet before shampooing his hair and locating his favorite body wash. As he scrubbed down, he wondered if this whole bathing process was a distraction from something Nanao didn't want him to see. Sure she was a little OCD, but his hygiene had never seemed to bother her before.

Shunsui dumped a bucket of water over his head to rinse away all the soap. If a good bathing would appease his little wife, he rightfully couldn't complain. He rinsed off once more just to make sure he sparkled like a shiny new coin, before drying himself off with a fluffy towel.

Nanao finished combing out her hair as he slid the bathroom door open and declared he was finished. "I hope you don't intend on parading around the room naked." She asked, blushing as her captain threw his towel into the laundry hamper and failed to put on any clothes.

"I see no point in putting on clothes that will have to be removed in a few minutes anyway." He explained as he flopped down onto the bed, face up.

The ebony haired woman averted her eyes and snuck into the bathroom to continue avoiding sexual intercourse with him. It wasn't that she didn't love Kyouraku Shunsui or had a problem with consummated their marriage, it was simply because she was still his vice captain and he was her captain. Such professional barriers still couldn't be broken down by a few vows. And to worsen the matter, she had been uptight and nagging all evening and now all the sudden she would revert to being a shy and innocent girl who needed his guidance. It was so frustrating.

After her bath, Nanao crept out of the bathroom in her kosode. Perhaps she could hide her timidness behind professionalism and make it through the night without being teased. "Shu... Shunsui...?"

Shunsui's body lay half asleep on the bed. Only after she called his name did an eye slide open and his form readjust itself so he could get a good look at her. "Yes my dear?"

"If you're tired, we can wait 'til morning..."

"And deny Nanao-chan her Wedding Night?"

_"Of course he wouldn't... Well, at least it was worth a shot." _Nanaotold herself as she slowly approached the over-sized mattress and crawled up next to her husband.

Shunsui chuckled and extended a hand to caress her cheek. "Yare yare Nanao-chan, you can't fall to pieces on me. You know I'm nothing without you."

She smiled and touched her hand to his. "I know."

"Nanao-chan." He said to get her attention, and as she looked up, he kissed her. "Aishiteru, Nanao."

"Hai... mou aishiteru... Shunsui..."

The soft brown eyes of the captain focused solely on his bride after she affirmed her feelings. He brought her lips back down upon his and slowly nudged her onto her back as they kissed. The moment seemed so clean and pure, whether it was because they were married or perhaps showering before love-making produced such an alluring aura. Shunsui dismissed both theories for something more raw and simple; it was because he loved Nanao more than he had ever loved anyone and tonight would be his first time to express the full extent of that love. Nothing in Shunsui's mind could be more pure than that.

Nanao felt a similar emotion, though confusion had it somewhat hazy to figure out. She had never been truly in love before and such feelings were strange and foreign. From his breath in her ear to his hands on cheek, every touch sent more waves crashing down upon her mind. The passion intoxicated her and the uncertainly made her cautious, but as her body was removed from her kosode and brought against the warmth of Shunsui's skin, she gave in to desire.

Naked, both in body and mind, the two gave themselves to one another. Even Shunsui, who was no stranger to the bed, felt such ecstasy that couldn't be explained with mere words. And Nanao, helpless and naive to the ways of the sheets, feared she would have drowned on the air she continuously gasped for.

"You... are a very tiring woman my dear." Shunsui breathed as he stroked Nanao's disheveled hair.

"It's your fault for being old." Nanao teased, trying to rest her head against the man's unshaven pectorals.

"Ah, but then I wouldn't have gained such experience to thrill my Nanao-chan with."

"Experience makes no difference if you don't have the stamina to keep up with me."

He laughed. "Aw, our first fight as a married couple..."

Nanao couldn't help but smile. If all their fights were like this, perhaps life at the Division might improve. But she knew better. Marriage would not change the fact that Kyouraku Shunsui didn't do his paperwork or actually stayed awake through an entire work day, nor would it make Nanao more tolerable of such actions. It would just have to work that way she supposed. In the Division's Barracks, nothing would change... their personal life on the other hand, well, there were sure many more inceptions than just seven.

_Owari_


End file.
